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Girls outnumber boys at university | GulfNews.com
Karachi: In this male dominant society of 180 million people, women
constitute more than 50 per cent of the population but hardly make any
sizeable part in the literate work force.
Pakistan has for decades grossly under invested in education, and in
particular girls education. But in the past several years girl students
have grossly outnumbere male students at Karachi University, one of the
largest state-run university in Pakistan, named after its largest city
and the financial capital.
Of up to 26,000 students currently enrolled at the campus over 70 per
cent are females, in both the social and natural science faculties.
In a number of faculties the women make even 90 percent of the total
class strength in this conservative society where the women are
preferred to stay at home partially because of religious reason and
mainly patriarchal traditions.
The unique trend is swiftly taking over this conservative and male dominant society without being noticed.
For about past five years female enrolment at the Karachi varsity has
tremendously risen, said Professor Abid Hasnain, a former president of
Karachi University Teachers Society.
The surprising reversal has no single reason behind it. The senior
teachers attribute this to a number of factors. I believe that in our
society families and parents prefer to invest in their sons rather than
their daughters, that is why aspirant females come tothe public sector
universities, which are cheaper, said Professor Hasnain.The professor
was referring to the fact of the mushrooming growth of private
universities in the past decade affiliated to reputed foreign
universities and offering the latest but expensive faculties which has
international job markets.
Mostly the girls are from the middle and lower middle class which typically prefer their boys in terms of nurturing, he said.
Economic and social disparities were also the cause behind the trend which is considered negative for some.
This has been a negative trend because I see serious restructuring of
the education structure in the country, said Professor Tauseef Ahmad
Khan.
Outlining the reasons behind the trend, he said that females from the
middle and lower middle classes were opting for education in traditional
faculties in both the major sciences.
Women prefer to get higher education with intention of getting married
in a good family and finding a good groom, commented Khan, who is the
head of Mass Communication Department at the Federal Urdu University.
But the men from the middle and lower classes were opting for business education, computer sciences or going abroad.
Hasnain validates Khans version.
In pure science subjects like chemistry, microbiology, petroleum sciences, females constitute even 95 per cent, he said.
Pakistan has for decades grossly underinvested in education, and in
particular, girls education. Education spending is mired at roughly one
per cent of its gross domestic produce, and in this environment of
resource constraints, girls tend to be short-changed. Overall literacy
is only 44 per cent while adult female literacy is less than 30 per
cent.
Karachi: In this male dominant society of 180 million people, women
constitute more than 50 per cent of the population but hardly make any
sizeable part in the literate work force.
Pakistan has for decades grossly under invested in education, and in
particular girls education. But in the past several years girl students
have grossly outnumbere male students at Karachi University, one of the
largest state-run university in Pakistan, named after its largest city
and the financial capital.
Of up to 26,000 students currently enrolled at the campus over 70 per
cent are females, in both the social and natural science faculties.
In a number of faculties the women make even 90 percent of the total
class strength in this conservative society where the women are
preferred to stay at home partially because of religious reason and
mainly patriarchal traditions.
The unique trend is swiftly taking over this conservative and male dominant society without being noticed.
For about past five years female enrolment at the Karachi varsity has
tremendously risen, said Professor Abid Hasnain, a former president of
Karachi University Teachers Society.
The surprising reversal has no single reason behind it. The senior
teachers attribute this to a number of factors. I believe that in our
society families and parents prefer to invest in their sons rather than
their daughters, that is why aspirant females come tothe public sector
universities, which are cheaper, said Professor Hasnain.The professor
was referring to the fact of the mushrooming growth of private
universities in the past decade affiliated to reputed foreign
universities and offering the latest but expensive faculties which has
international job markets.
Mostly the girls are from the middle and lower middle class which typically prefer their boys in terms of nurturing, he said.
Economic and social disparities were also the cause behind the trend which is considered negative for some.
This has been a negative trend because I see serious restructuring of
the education structure in the country, said Professor Tauseef Ahmad
Khan.
Outlining the reasons behind the trend, he said that females from the
middle and lower middle classes were opting for education in traditional
faculties in both the major sciences.
Women prefer to get higher education with intention of getting married
in a good family and finding a good groom, commented Khan, who is the
head of Mass Communication Department at the Federal Urdu University.
But the men from the middle and lower classes were opting for business education, computer sciences or going abroad.
Hasnain validates Khans version.
In pure science subjects like chemistry, microbiology, petroleum sciences, females constitute even 95 per cent, he said.
Pakistan has for decades grossly underinvested in education, and in
particular, girls education. Education spending is mired at roughly one
per cent of its gross domestic produce, and in this environment of
resource constraints, girls tend to be short-changed. Overall literacy
is only 44 per cent while adult female literacy is less than 30 per
cent.
